Luge Canada hires Poland’s Maciej Kurowski as head coach to 2030

CALGARY — Three-time Polish Olympian Maciej Kurowski has been named the Canadian luge team’s new head coach through to the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in the French Alps.

The 40-year-old from Jelenia Gora coached South Korea in February’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics alongside former Canadian team coach Wolfgang Staudinger. Kurowski has also worked with Korea’s development team.

Kurowski coached in the International Luge Federation’s development program to help 10 athletes from emerging luge countries qualify for Beijing’s Olympic Games in 2022.

The contract of Robert Fegg, who coached Canada’s luge team from 2022 to 2026, concluded in May.

As an athlete, Kurowski spent 13 years sliding for Poland.

He made his World Cup debut in Calgary in 2006 and his Olympic debut in 2010 in Whistler, B.C.

“I have a special story that connects me with Canada. It was the first country I ever visited in North America,” Kurowski said Tuesday in a statement.

“Throughout my career as an athlete, I always admired Team Canada. Watching how the program developed and grew stronger over the years was truly inspiring. Their commitment to excellence and continuous improvement left a lasting impression on me. That is one of the reasons why I am so excited to be the new coach of the Canadian team.”

Canadian lugers won the country’s first Olympic medals in the sport under Staudinger in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Alex Gough was a bronze medallist in women’s singles. Gough, Sam Edney and the doubles team of Justin Snith and Tristan Walker took relay silver.

But Calgary’s sliding track, which was a legacy of the 1988 Olympic Games in the city and the home of the national sliding teams, closed in 2019 and has not reopened.

Whistler has Canada’s only sliding track. World Cups are scheduled there Dec. 2-4, 2027 and March 8-10, 2029.

As Poland’s lone male singles slider for many years, Kurowski closely watched how Olympic and world champions were coached and how their sleds were managed.

“Much of my knowledge is built on the German system — its technology, attention to detail, and strong work ethic. Those experiences shaped my understanding of what it takes to consistently perform at the highest level,” he said.

“Over the past 20 years, I have built a wide range of experience that I believe is my greatest strength and the biggest value I bring to this position.”

Canadians finished 15th and 17th in women’s singles and 10th in men’s and women’s doubles in the 2026 Olympic Games. Canada didn’t qualify in men’s singles and thus didn’t enter a relay team.

“Maciej is exactly the type of leader we were looking for to guide our program into the next Olympic cycle,” Luge Canada’s executive director Tim Farstad said.

“He brings an exceptional combination of Olympic experience, technical expertise and a collaborative leadership style. His commitment to continuous improvement, evidence-based coaching and athlete development aligns perfectly with the direction we want to take as an organization.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.

The Canadian Press